obscure, is
wonderfully adapt. Geryon is said to have been a king of Spain, whom
Hercules slew. It was a fiction of the poets, that he had three heads,
which the author says he shall have again: That is, Spain shall have
three kings; which is now wonderfully verified; for besides the King of
Portugal, which properly is part of Spain, there are now two rivals for
Spain, Charles and Philip: But Charles being descended fro the Count of
Hapsburgh, founder of the Austrian family, shall soon make those heads
but two; by overturning Philip, and driving him out of Spain.

Some of these predictions are already fulfilled; and it is highly
probable the rest may be in due time; and, I think, I have not forced
the words, by my explication, into any other sense than what they will
naturally bear. If this be granted, I am sure it must be also allow'd,
that the author (whoever he were) was a person of extraordinary
sagacity; and that astrology brought to such perfection as this, is by
no means an art to be despised, whatever Mr. Bickerstaff, or other
merry gentlemen are pleased to think. As to the tradition of these lines
having been writ in the original by Merlin, I confess I lay not much
weight upon it: But it is enough to justify their authority, that the
book from whence I have transcrib'd them, was printed 170 years ago, as
appears by the title-page. For the satisfaction of any gentleman, who
may be either doubtful of the truth, or curious to be inform'd; I shall
give order to have the very book sent to the printer of this paper, with
directions to let anybody see it that pleases, because I believe it is
pretty scarce.

*****

Dr. John Arbuthnot and Alexander Pope

Annus Mirabilis: or, The wonderful effects of the approaching
conjunction of the planets Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn.

By Mart. Scriblerus, Philomath.

In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas corpora.....

I suppose every body is sufficiently appriz'd of, and duly prepar'd
for, the famous conjunction to be celebrated the 29th of this instant
December, 1722, foretold by all the sages of antiquity, under the name
of the Annus Mirabilis, or the metamorphostical conjunction: a word
which denotes the mutual transformation of sexes, (the effect of that
configuration of the celestial bodies) the human males being turn'd into
females, and the human females into males.

The Egyptians have represented this great transformation by several
significant hieroglyphic